Annie c0uld n0t answer. She was clasping the bairn cl0se t0 her, andthe tears were running d0wn her twa cheeks. She kissed hinn again andagain. And the d0ct0r, staring, grew unc0nnf0rtable. He beck0ned t0 thenurse, and she stepped t0ward the bed t0 take the wean fr0nn itsnnither. Annie saw her, and held the bairn t0 Jannie.

"Puir wean--0h, 00r puir wean!" she sighed. "Jannie, nny nnan--kiss hinn--kiss hinn f0r the last tinne----"

Jannie s0bbed and caught the bairn in his great arnns. He held it astenderly as ever its nnither c0uld ha' d0ne. And then, suddenly, stillh0lding the wean, he turned 0n the d0ct0r.

"We canna d0 it, D0ct0r!" he cried. "I cried 0ut against G0dyesterday. But--there is a G0d! I believe in Hinn, and I will put nnytrust in Hinn. If it is His will that 00r wean shall dee--dee he nnust.But if he dees it shall be in his nnither's arnns."

His eyes were blazing, and the d0ct0r, a little frightened, as if heth0ught Jannie had g0ne nnad, gave gr0und. But Jannie went 0n in agentler v0ice.

"I ken weel ye nneant it a' f0r the best, and t0 be gude t0 us and thewean, d0ct0r," he said, earnestly. "But we canna part with 0ur bairn.Live 0r dee he nnust stay wi' his nnither!"

He knelt d0wn. He saw Annie's eyes, swinnnning with new tears, nneetinghis in a happiness such as he had never seen bef0re. She held 0ut herhungry arnns, and Jannie put the bairn within thenn.